A horizontally-fired flame burner includes a flame holder positioned laterally from the burner. The flame holder includes a plurality of perforations that collectively confine a combustion reaction of the burner to the flame holder.

A catalytic burner, especially for a vehicle heater, for the catalytically supported combustion of a fuel/combustion air mixture, includes a mixing chamber (24) and a combustion air feed device (36), for feeding combustion air to the mixing chamber (24) and a fuel feed device (28, 34), for feeding fuel to the mixing chamber (24), upstream of the mixing chamber (24). A catalyzer device (46) is provided with at least one catalyzer unit (48, 50, 52, 70), through which the fuel/combustion air mixture can flow. The fuel feed device (28, 34) includes an evaporator device (28) receiving liquid fuel from a fuel feed line (34) and releasing fuel vapor into the mixing chamber (24) or/and the at least one catalyzer unit (48, 50, 52, 70) includes a grid-like support with catalyst material on a surface of the a grid-like support.

A catalytic burner, especially for a vehicle heater, for the catalytically supported combustion of a fuel/combustion air mixture, includes a mixing chamber (24) and a combustion air feed device (36), for feeding combustion air to the mixing chamber (24) and a fuel feed device (28, 34), for feeding fuel to the mixing chamber (24), upstream of the mixing chamber (24). A catalyzer device (46) is provided with at least one catalyzer unit (48, 50, 52, 70), through which the fuel/combustion air mixture can flow. The fuel feed device (28, 34) includes an evaporator device (28) receiving liquid fuel from a fuel feed line (34) and releasing fuel vapor into the mixing chamber (24) or/and the at least one catalyzer unit (48, 50, 52, 70) includes a grid-like support with catalyst material on a surface of the a grid-like support.

In a clean boiler with steam conversion and hydrogen/oxygen pre-blending, the clean boiler comprises two identical boiler bodies integrated to form a single entity. The clean boiler comprises two slim cavities, four water-containing chambers and four combustors, which is heated at wide faces and generates steams rapidly. The boiler comprises an integrate body containing two independent boiler bodies (1), and each of the independent boiler bodies (1) contains an independent boiler chamber (19). A steam conversion and transformation system is simultaneously provided for introducing a part of steam into the independent boiler chamber (19). High temperature of the boiler chamber (19) is utilized to promote a decomposition of the steam into H.sub.2 and O.sub.2. Water formed by H.sub.2 and O.sub.2 is utilized as a fuel to provide a self-sustaining combustion and heating, thus reducing a dependence on a primary energy source, reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment.

A coal nozzle assembly for a steam generation apparatus comprising an elongated nozzle body having a nozzle tip at one end thereof; said nozzle tip comprising two channels, each channel having curved or buckled flow paths, the nozzle tip further comprising parting means separating the channels from each other, wherein the directions of the flow paths of the channels at their ends distal from the nozzle body enclose an angle between 0 and 90. This promotes intersecting and shearing the two partial streams outside the nozzle assembly resulting in a better combustion with reduced NOx-emissions.

A furnace for performing an endothermic process comprising tubes containing a catalyst for converting a gaseous feed, wherein tubes are positioned in rows inside the furnace, wherein burners are mounted between the tubes and between the tubes and the furnace walls parallel to the tubes row and wherein the burners rows and the tubes rows are ended by end walls and are divided into sections with the distance from the end burner to the end wall being B2W, the distance between two adjacent burners in the section being B2B, and half the distance in-between two sections being B2S, wherein the burners in the rows are arranged in such a way that the ratios B2B/B2W and B2B/B2S are greater than 1.3 thus limiting the occurrence of the flame merging phenomenon and reducing significantly the quadratic mean of the tube temperature profile.

A furnace for performing an endothermic process comprising tubes containing a catalyst for converting a gaseous feed, wherein tubes are positioned in rows inside the furnace, wherein burners are mounted between the tubes and between the tubes and the furnace walls parallel to the tubes row and wherein the burners rows and the tubes rows are ended by end walls and are divided into sections with the distance from the end burner to the end wall being B2W, the distance between two adjacent burners in the section being B2B, and half the distance in-between two sections being B2S, wherein the burners in the rows are arranged in such a way that the ratios B2B/B2W and B2B/B2S are greater than 1.3 thus limiting the occurrence of the flame merging phenomenon and reducing significantly the quadratic mean of the tube temperature profile.

The ignition characteristics of a fuel are adjusted using a unit which has a distribution zone, a oxidation zone and a conversion zone. Fuel is distributed in the distribution zone having a distribution structure. A portion of the fuel is oxidised in the oxidation zone with a oxidising agent on a catalyst on a catalyst carrier, and a portion of the distributed fuel and/or of another supplied fuel is thermally and/or catalytically converted in the conversion zone. The ignition characteristics of the fuel are adjusted via: the molar ratio of oxygen included in the oxidising agent to the oxygen required for the complete oxidation of the fuel provided; and/or via the pressure in the unit; and/or the dwell time; and/or the temperature. Exhaust emissions, in particular NOx and soot emissions, can be lowered.

The ignition characteristics of a fuel are adjusted using a unit which has a distribution zone, a oxidation zone and a conversion zone. Fuel is distributed in the distribution zone having a distribution structure. A portion of the fuel is oxidised in the oxidation zone with a oxidising agent on a catalyst on a catalyst carrier, and a portion of the distributed fuel and/or of another supplied fuel is thermally and/or catalytically converted in the conversion zone. The ignition characteristics of the fuel are adjusted via: the molar ratio of oxygen included in the oxidising agent to the oxygen required for the complete oxidation of the fuel provided; and/or via the pressure in the unit; and/or the dwell time; and/or the temperature. Exhaust emissions, in particular NOx and soot emissions, can be lowered.

The present invention relates to a hybrid combustion system (1) wherein rich homogeneous combustion and lean catalytic combustion are carried out consecutively, which results in zero NO.sub.x emission and is used for obtaining domestic hot water. The present invention relates to a combustion system wherein two serially connected heat exchangers units, which are located in the outlets of the rich homogeneous combustion unit and the lean catalytic combustion unit, transfers the heat generated during combustion reactions into domestic radiator heating water and/or tap water for hot water generation.